Improved packing for joints of steam-engines



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messes-w WILLIAM J. TOWNE, OF NEWTONVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TOSILVER LAKE MAUFAOTURING COMPANY, OF SAIWE PLACE.

- Letters Patent No. 84,022, dated November 10, 1868.

IMPROVED PACKING FOR JOINTS rOCI? STEAM-ENGINES.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all whom 'it may concern Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. Towne, ofNewtonville, in the county of Middlesex, andState of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain Improvements "in Packing for the Joints ofSteam-Engines, and pumps, stuiiing-boxes, expansion-joints, dto., ofwhich the following i's a full, clear, and exact 'description7 referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, making part of thisspecification, in which- Figures'l, 2, 3, and 4 represent pieces of myimproved packing, partially in section, and partially in elevation.

This invention consists in the application, to the exterior surface ofpacking, composed of powdered and fibrous materials, bf -a glazingA orcoating of a glutinons substance, either alone or mixed with a powderedmineral substance or substances, which prevents ythe escape of thepowder contained in the packing,

when it is being handled or during its transportation,

'the glazing or coating also ,serving to retain the powdered mineralsubstance on the exterior surface oi the packing, as required to bringit into immediate contact with the metallic surface to which it isapplied; and my invention also consists in the application, to

thcexterior surface of ordinary packing, composed of brous materialonly, of a glazfmgpppdipkg composed of a lutinous substance and a owderemipwerawl subg-wance 'rmtac''sf'mined togetliigmand myiriven lon"furthermore consists in a packing, composed `of fibrous material, apowdered mineral substance or substances, and a glutinous substance,when the whole are intimately` mixed together during the process ofbraiding, twisting, or plaiting, the glutinous substance and powderedmineral being in the form of a paste.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and use my invention,I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out.

In iig. 1 of the said drawings, A represents a piece of packing,composed of cotton or other iibrous material, braided, twisted, orplaited, and combiifed with soapstone and asbestos, or soapstone alone,or other powdered mineral substance of a suitable nature, which isworked into it while it is'being manufactured.

The exterior surface of this packing is covered with aglazing orcoating, a, which may be applied by drawing the packing through a troughor boxcontaining a paste or sizing, composed of ilour-starch,potato-starch, or other suitable glutinous material that will dryrapidly, on exposure to the air, andl become readily softened by theaction of steam or water, and a suliicient quantity of soapstone andasbestos, (iu the proportion of about fvc-sixths of the former toonesixth of the latte` 17,) or soapstone alone, or other powderedmineral substance or. substances of a lubricating nature, to bring it tothe required consistency.

This glazing or coating, when dry, prevents the escape of the powdercontained in the packing during its transportation, which avoids loss inweight, and also renders it less 'dusty to handle, while, by coating theexterior surface of the packing, the powdered mineral substance isbrought, as required, into immediate contact with the metallic surfaceto which the packing is applied, thus protecting the fibrous material,and rendering my improved packing particularly applicable in situationsexposed to a great degree of heat, as, for instance, Awhere superheatedsteam is used.

I do not confine myself to the particular mode above described ofmanufacturing vmy improved packing, as the process may be varied. Forinstance, a piece of packing, composed of powdered and brous materials,may be merely coated with a sizing or glazing of a glutinous substance,such as before described, instead of with a paste composed of glutinousand powdered substances, as first described; a piece of packing of thisdescription being represented in lig. 2, in which B is the packing, andb, the glazing or sizing on its exterior surface, or a piece of ordinarypacking, composed of fibrous material only, may be covered with acoating of the paste first described, composed of glutinous and powderedsubstanccs,'as seen infig. 3, G representing the fibrous material, andc, the coating of paste 0n its exterior' surface.

Instead of the packing being glazed or coated on its surface, as abovedescribed, the paste or sizing above mentioned, composed of glutinousand powdered substances, may be worked into the iibrous material whilethe packing is being braided, twisted, or plaited, a piece of packing ofthis description being represented in iig. 4.

The glutinous material which I employ is of such a nature that it willnot interfere with the lubricatingproperties of the packing, while itwill dry rapidly on exposure to the air, and will be readily softenedwhen the packing is exposed to the action of steam or water, whichrenders it flexible as required.

I do not claim a packing composed of a dry, powdered substance orsubstances and fibrous material; but

lVhat I do claim as myinvention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

The application of a glazing or coating to the exterior surface of apacking, `substantially as and for the purposes described.

^ WM. J. TOWNE. Witnesses:

l?. E. TESCHEMAGHER, W. J. CAMBRIDGE.

